As one of Nashville's premiere vocal groups, Portara Ensemble's repertoire spans a wide range of genres and styles. Director Jason Shelton brought the ensemble and one of their diverse programs to the studio in advance of their June 3rd concert, called "Home." The performance will be a benefit for Open Table Nashville, a non-profit organization working to end homelessness. And while the program might cover a range of styles — including a stunning performance of a traditional spiritual and the world premiere of a new work with words provided by members of the ensemble — the pieces are all thematically tied together by the idea of home.

"You won't hear anything: you'll hear everything," is how avant-garde musician John Cage described his events known as Musicircus. First performed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Musicircus began as an invitation for artists to come together in a space and perform whatever they chose, simultaneously.

Studio C was brimming with energy when two dozen 5th and 6th graders arrived from Scales Elementary School in Murfreesboro. Together, they form Steel de Boro, an after school student steel drum band lead by percussionist and Scales music teacher Tony Hartman. The group played several originals by Hartman and wrapped up their set with a Herbie Hancock classic.

Joshua Bell describes finding his instrument, a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, as a “kind of love story that only happens once or twice in one’s life.” It’s a love story that involves more than a little bit of luck, too.

This weekend, Nashville Ballet will debut Modern Masters, a new initiative designed to bring the work of the world's finest choreographers to Middle Tennessee audiences. The program includes works by George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián and Christopher Wheeldon— and while these names might be unfamiliar to the ballet novice, Nashville Ballet company member Judson Veach emphasized just how iconic they are in the dance world.

The Nashville Opera's next season draws from three centuries of music making and runs the gamut of operatic storytelling, from fanciful escapism to serious treatment of pressing social issues. Here's a look at what's on offer:

Colleen Phelps stopped by this week with selections from the Animal Ambassador Album Project— works for marimba by five different composers, all dedicated to zoo animals born in 2017. The collection, inspired by the likes of Fiona the hippo from Cincinnati and Nashville Zoo's own clouded leopard, Niran, contains both composed works and poetry to which Phelps improvises.

Lipscomb University piano professor Jerome Reed made his first appearance on Live in Studio C in April 1999. On that program, he performed music from Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. 19 years (and many Live in Studio C performances) later, Reed was here this week with a very similar program to the one he first performed nearly two decades ago.

Over the course of the last six months, Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux estimates he's spent well over 150 practice hours preparing for his debut with the Nashville Symphony this weekend. "This is the most time I've ever spent on any piece of music, ever, in my 25-year career as a performer," Vieaux told us over the phone. "That's how hard it is."